Pokemon Cards Found at Crime Scene Lead to Arrest of Aberdeen’s M-80 Bomber

A 34-year-old man was arrested in Aberdeen, Maryland by the UK Police on June 13, 2023, due to a trail of Pokemon cards left behind. Jeremiah E. Burnette was charged with planting illegally manufactured explosive devices called M-80s in various locations in Aberdeen. The police successfully traced his identity by linking the Pokemon cards discovered at one of the crime scenes to him.

How did the police find Maryland’s Pokebomber?

One of the police officers involved in the investigation recalled having previously arrested Jeremiah Burnette, who was in possession of Pokemon cards at the time. Several days into the search for the M-80 bomber in Aberdeen, the police discovered a crater resulting from an explosion, strewn with Pokemon cards. Drawing a connection between this finding and the earlier arrest, the police obtained a warrant to search Burnette’s residence. Upon finding numerous stacks of Pokemon cards in his house, Burnette reportedly surrendered to the police during questioning, confessing to orchestrating the bombings.

Burnette ultimately faced charges of “two counts of possessing a destructive device and two counts of using a destructive device.” Officials reported that he was taken to the Harford County Detention Center and later released “after posting a $10,000 personal unsecured bond.”

Digging deeper into the explosions and Pokemon cards left behind

Given the unique nature of this entire incident, here’s a statement from Burnette himself that might offer some clarification. During an interview with WJZ’s Paul Gessler, regarding the Pokemon cards found at the crime scene, Burnette said:

“It’s definitely not out here to leave a calling card. That’s not my intention whatsoever. Now, I got people online calling me the ‘Pokebomber.’ It’s kind of embarrassing honestly.”

As for the M-80 explosives, Burnette had reportedly obtained them from a “friend” and was unaware of their illegality. When asked about his motivation for causing the explosions, Burnette stated:

“I guess you could say, like a grown man—I don’t want to say having fun, that sounds irresponsible. It was just like, ‘Oooh! Explosion!’ I do apologize. It wasn’t intended to cause any problems or scare anybody. I have four kids myself.”